


Promise

by saltwatersweets



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game), Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Dialogue Fic (Mostly), Effects of Long Term Isolation, Gen, Non-Graphic Panic Attack, haha dave & hat friendship go brrr, i love the toppat clan but they're mean in this, vague and out of context ahit spoilers for those who haven't played the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29280219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltwatersweets/pseuds/saltwatersweets
Summary: After being offered a position in the Toppat Clan, Dave is slowly trying to get used to being free.Too bad there's only one person who doesn't want to cut him down.
Relationships: Dave Panpa & Hat Girl
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Among the Artificial Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27747580) by [NinjaGirlStar5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaGirlStar5/pseuds/NinjaGirlStar5). 



> i've always wanted to write a fic that was mostly just dialogue, since it's always been something i've had trouble writing. if it does get a bit confusing, then that's my bad. i tried my best to leave small references so you could figure out who's talking. as for the toppats' conversations (every other one), you can really just imagine any toppat you like or don't like speaking, whether they're different people or the same, since i only left a few references to past conversations 
> 
> i also left a few references to the fic that heavily inspired this, which you can find a link to above! i seriously recommend it and the other fics by the author, they're really great!!

“Didja hear about that new Toppat guy?”

“Oh yeah, what was his name? Damien, or something?”

“I think it was Dave. I heard he used to be our prisoner, right?”

“I think so. He kinda has a forgettable face, y’know?”

“Forgettable _everything,_ more like. I swear, the only reason people could recognize him is his top hat. Everything else just _screams_ civilian. I don’t know why anyone agreed to let him join, he’s just a prisoner, he’s not a _real_ Toppat.”

“I wonder how long it’ll be before he sells us out.”

“Oh _please._ I’ll give it two weeks at most.”

“Really? I say a month at least. He seems too skittish to be able to have the guts to go against anyone, haven’t you seen the way he closes in on himself whenever he’s near anyone?”

“Come on, I’ll bet that’s just what he _wants_ you to think. You’re playing right into his shaky, tiny hands-“

“You are so _dramatic._ But, hey, if we’re _betting,_ how much you wanna go for?”

“Ohoho, now you’re speaking my language. Twenty-five seem like enough to you?”

“Oh, you are _so_ on.”

* * *

“Come on come on come _on!”_

“H-hold on, I’m going as fast as I can!”

“Sorry, I’m just excited! I’ve wanted to show you around here for _months!”_

“Okay, okay… where _is_ here?”

“This is… the viewing deck! Isn’t it so pretty? I always like to go out here whenever I need some alone time.”

“It’s… it’s… wow.”

“You, um… you said you couldn’t remember sunlight. So I wanted you to get to see this!”

“...Thanks.” 

“What are friends for?”

Friends. Right. 

A silence passes as the man quietly soaks in the sunlight, before feeling the sleeve of his new dress clothes being tugged by a surprisingly strong little girl. 

“Okay, I wanna show you something, but you have to laugh.”

“Do I now?”

“Uh huh! So you’d better save your breath, mister!”

“Okay, okay, I will.” 

“Welcome to- uh, drumroll please… thank you! Welcome to… the security room!”

“...Okay?”

“Get it? Because you used to be a security guard?”

“...Oh. Haha.” 

“That’s a fake laugh!”

“It’s real!” 

_“Sure.”_

“Okay, okay, it’s a _little_ forced. Sorry. I’m just… all of that just feels like… so _long_ ago. Like a different lifetime. Everything felt different back then...”

“...Hey, are you okay?”

“What? Oh yeah, yeah, of course I’m okay. This is all just… I don’t know.”

“A lot?”

“Yeah. Everything feels so _big._ It’s all just… really different. ...Sorry for worrying you.”

“It’s okay. ...Hey, have you seen the Vault before?” 

“Um… I don’t… think so?”

“Oh my gosh, you’ll _love_ it! It’s got loads of Toppat treasures and stuff! It’s my favorite room here, even if I have to be authorized to go in there.”

“Do they do that with everyone?”

“I don’t think so. They probably just don’t want a ‘little kid’ like me stealing something from there. But it’s okay! They’re just worried, I can’t be mad at them!”

“...Right. Well, where _is_ the Vault, anyway?”

“Oh, it’s really long, we can do some sightseeing on the way there. We just have to go through a few rooms, and then it’s right past the Br- ig...”

“...Oh.”

“Um… we can visit it another day.”

“...Thank you.”

* * *

“So, wait, who’s that new guy again?”

“His name’s Dave. Apparently he’d been in our Brig for over a year, but he was allowed to join. Worked out for him, since he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“Wait a second… Isn’t that that guy who I would always get assigned to bring food to?”

“The one and only.”

_“Ughhhhhh,_ I’ve been asking if we could just throw him off the Airship for _months._ He’s completely useless, why would we even keep him? He’s better off dead than alive, in my opinion.”

“Apparently, he was a police officer for a couple weeks before he got fired. At least, that’s what his file said. Even if he hasn’t got much experience, he at least knows how to shoot. And, well, that’s more than I can say for _you_ when you first became a Toppat, am I right?”

“Oh shut _up,_ man. I only joined a week after you, like _you_ were any better.”

“Heh, keep telling yourself that. ...Why do you hate him so much, anyway?”

“It’s- it’s not that I hate him. More like don’t care. But it’s just- he’s just- he’s _weird.”_

“That’s pretty low ground for wanting someone thrown to their death, don’t you think?”

“But he’s _annoying!_ And inconvenient! Do you know how frustrating it is to be playing a game and suddenly you have to drop everything to go deliver food that looks gross to someone you don’t even know?”

“Well, that explains why he was always so withdrawn whenever I had to give him his daily meal. Probably was tired of people like you, heh.”

“Oh come on now, I’ve seen some of the tapes for that room. I’m _definitely_ not the person who treated him the worst; at least what I did was _verbal.”_

“That’s only ‘cause you can’t throw a punch, not out of morality, dimwit.”

“Good god, maybe I should ask if _you_ could be thrown of the Airship.”

“Sure. Good luck with that.”

“Seriously! I’m high ranking enough, I could _definitely_ convince them, haha!”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

* * *

“Guess what day it is?”

“What?”

“It’s our eight month anniversary of us meeting each other!”

“Oh, really? Wow… I don’t know if it feels like forever ago or just yesterday.”

“Hehe! Yeah, time’s weird like that, isn’t it?

“Hey, at- at least you _knew_ what date it was!”

“...”

“...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like-“

“No, no, it’s okay! I should be the one that’s sorry… I just let you…”

“Okay, okay, we’re both sorry, then. Let’s move on?”

_“Great_ idea, thank you. I’m so glad you could join us now! You looked so sad when I first saw you…”

“Yeah, it was… something. But… it’s okay now.”

“Yeah! I’m glad I could convince them to let you join, I didn’t wanna have to choose between you and them.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it seem like you had to do that.”

“It’s not your fault, don’t worry. It just… it made me feel small, seeing you like that sometimes.”

“...Yeah.” 

“Are you liking it so far? I know you don’t get to go on a lot of adventures like me, but it’s nice to get to see you more!”

“It’s definitely… _different._ Everyone’s been… nice enough, which I think is a step up.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll warm up to them, I promise! I mean, when I first joined, I just kinda appeared out of nowhere, but now they’re like family.”

“...There isn’t really anything that could make you leave them, huh?”

A carefree smile, one innocent and naive, worrying about but not fully realizing the weight behind the question.

“Why would I do that? I know they’re kind of… rough around the edges sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“...Right.”

“Besides! They’re a lot nicer than the other crime organization I was a part of!”

“Haha, _what.”_

* * *

“Wow, he’s lasted longer than I thought he would. Color me impressed.”

“I know, right? Surprising.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen him go on a single heist so far.”

“I’m pretty sure he’d sooner die of a heart attack than any law enforcement if he went on a heist.”

“Pffft, you’ve got a point there. I accidentally snuck up on him one time because I wanted to see if he could do something for me, and I swear, the guy jumped out of his skin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so terrified of me before.” 

“You did it again, didn’t you.”

“Well, _duh!_ Oh don’t give me that look, it was _funny!”_

“You’re sick, you know that?”

“Oh come on now. You know you loooove meeeee~”

“Ugh, I do and I hate it.”

* * *

“Wow, look, it’s raining!”

“...Yeah.”

“It hasn’t rained in _forever._ I’ve been waiting for it to rain for like, a _thousand years.”_

“...”

“...What’s wrong?”

“What? Oh, nothing’s wrong, it’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve seen rain.”

“Oh, right… well, um, here it is!”

Catching raindrops on her tongue, the girl dug into her pocket and whipped out an umbrella, which seemed entirely too big to be able to fit into her pocket, what the _heck._

“Do you wanna use this? It’s my best one, I got it from-“

“From the Mafia, you told me, right? I… Are you sure I can use it? I don’t wanna mess it up…”

“It’s okay, I trust you! You won’t mess it up.”

“Heh, you’d be surprised.”

“What was that?”

“Oh, uh, nothing, just… talking to myself again.”

“Ohhhhhhh okay! It’s funny, when I was a little bit younger I _barely_ talked! Some people commented on it, but, I don’t know, it just never seemed appealing. Except for some things, I guess. Guess they finally brought me out of my shell, right?”

“‘...They?’”

“You know, the Toppats! I didn’t really talk too much, but it kinda grew on me.”

“I guess I used to like talking too, I kinda got told off for it by someone at my last job, though.”

“Hmm… want me to beat them up for you?”

“What? Haha, no no, you really don’t have to-“

“Are you _sure?_ Believe me, I’ve got loads of practice beating bad guys up! Especially if he’s the reason you don’t talk a lot here!”

“Oh, that’s for… a different reason.”

“Ooo, what is it? Someone else I need to beat up?”

“It’s fine, there’s not really much you would do.”

“Okayyyyyyyyy, fine. But the offer still stands! You know where to find me if I ever need to throw hands!”

“I actually don’t know where to find you most of the time, but, uh, sure.”

* * *

_...You know what? I don’t like him.

Oh here we go again

I don’t!

Is this genuine, or are you just salty because you lost twenty-five dollars in our bet

Ugh don’t remind meeeeeee  
That’s not the reason tho  
I mean… not entirely.

Pffffft, okay, then what is it?

He’s just… is he_ actually _that spineless? A week ago he spilled a drink on me - I think you were there for that, actually - and I yelled at him! Any other respectable person would have yelled back, but he just kinda… cowared.

So, is it… like, his emotions, or something? Do you just not respect him?

That’s not just it. I always see him with Hat Girl. Y’know, the really short one, with like, no fashion sense?_

__

_Dude, she just turned fourteen, cut her_ some _slack lol_

__

_Okay, but like, I always see them together. It’s like he’s tied to her or something._

_She’s not always here, y’know. She’s off on her little adventures every other week  
What bugs you so much about them?_

_...I dunno, really  
It’s hard to put into words ig

Ye ye I get that  
You wanna try tho? I’m always open if you just need to rant about smth, you know that

Yeah yeah I know.  
Idk like  
Ok first of all the kid is literally half my age and is higher ranking??  
Like wtf that’s so unfair she’s not even a real toppat

Oh GOD I feel you  
But like  
You realize that BOTH of you are higher ranking than me AND younger, right?

Shes so_ annoying _tho lol  
Both of them.  
Honestly neither of them are real toppats  
Again, weird, yknow?

Hey maybe thats why they always hang out together  
Both of them are outcasts

Oh shit yeah probably tbh  
Well at least he’s still at the bottom and isnt taking important roles from people who actually should get them like her_

__

_Haha yeah  
Thank god for that_

* * *

“So then _she_ was like- ow! Hey, watch where you’re going!”

“S-sorry!” 

“Hey, maybe we should put him back in the Brig, maybe that’ll make him figure out the rules?” 

“Pfft, that seems a little too far, don’t you think?” 

“Please I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m-”

“Uh.”

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m _sorry-”_

“Hey! Leave him alone!”

“Beat it, kiddo, we’re just playing around.”

“Shoo! Go away! Go pick on someone your own size!” 

“Jeez, why don’t you do the same? You’re like, what, six?”

“You know what? Let’s just go, Dave, come on.”

* * *

“Jeez, I was just trying to make a _joke._ So annoying.”

“I dunno, man, it _was_ a little insensitive. He was stuck in there for over a _year_ I heard.”

“And? If he was in the Brig before, it’s probably his fault.”

“Do you even know why he was in there?”

“Do you?”

“No, but that’s- that’s not the point.”

“Whatever.”

“Is something wrong?”

“What? Why?”

“You’re not normally this irritated unless something’s wrong. You can unload on me if you want, we’re friends.”

“No, I know, but just… why is she always hanging out with him, seriously?”

“What, do you wanna hang out with one of them?”

“That’s- no. What? Ew.”

“Pfffffft, aww, is someone feeling _jeawous?”_

“Seriously, no. Back off.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. Boundaries. Why _don’t_ you like it, then?”

“She’s like, what, eleven?”

“Fourteen as of a few weeks, I think.”

“Either way, she’s still a little kid. Why does she want him as a friend? Can’t she just, I don’t know, go to school or something?”

“That’s assuming she’s even a citizen. Honestly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if she wasn’t.” 

“Yeah, I guess… She’s still so _young,_ though. ”

“What, are you… are you worried about her?”

_“No!_ Hey, stop laughing! Okay, okay, fine! Maybe I’m a _little_ worried, so what?!”

“Didn’t you call her a brat when she stepped on you shoe when she was like, ten?”

“It wasn’t _that_ big a deal.”

“You said it _to her face.”_

“Aghhhh, leave me alone! This is bullying. I’m being bullied by my best friend.”

“Okay, I’ll stop. ...It _is_ pretty funny though.”

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up. All I’m saying is she really needs to make friends her own age.”

“Well, just be glad she doesn’t wanna be _your_ friend.”

“Ugh, thank god, I don’t wanna be a damn babysitter, heh.”

* * *

“Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry, I got held up, the halls were _really_ crowded… do you wanna go to the Viewing Deck?”

“I- I wanna go _home-“_

“But… this _is_ your home, remember? You wanted to be a Toppat?”

“I didn’t _want_ any of this! I didn’t _want_ to be kidnapped, I didn’t _want_ to be imprisoned, I didn’t want to be a Toppat! I wanted to be _free!_ This was- this was the _closest thing_ and it’s not _enough,_ can’t you see that?!”

“...You- you’re… you’re not happy?”

The girl looks at him in shock, and then, only then, does he realize what he just said. What he just yelled.

And it’s too late to take it back.

“No- I didn’t- I didn’t mean that- oh god- I didn’t mean that- I’m sorry I’m sorry I didn’t mean it please don’t put me back in there _please-”_

* * *

“I think she likes to take care of herself, honestly.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. She acts like she’s used to it.”

* * *

“Dave? Oh- oh peck- hey calm down!”

“Please, please oh god- I’ll do _anything_ just please don’t make me go back _please-”_

“I… I wouldn’t- okay, Dave, I need you to look at me, can you do that?” He tries. “Okay, good enough. Do- do you actually think I’ll make you go back?” His shoulders scrunch up, and he nods, looking back down. “Oh.”

Oh, indeed.

“Okay, um… I won’t make you go back. I promise. I won’t _ever_ let them make you go back. ...I… I’m sorry I let you feel like I would.” 

“It’s not _you,_ I- I just-”

“But- but it _is_ me! I let them keep you! I let them _hurt_ you! _I_ hurt you!”

He flinches away from her yelling, and she flinches back, reminding herself that he’s the one who needs comforting.

“I’m _sorry,_ Dave, I didn’t… I didn’t know you were scared.” 

“It’s-” -not okay. He can’t lie to her. “I forgive you.” 

A sigh of relief sweeps across the room. 

“I… I didn’t really ever ask. How come you wanted to free me in the first place?”

“You… Like I said, you looked sad. I didn’t like it.”

That’s not the reason. 

Seeing him like that- it reminded her of something. A story she pieced together through only the lovesick diary of a girl too jealous for anyone’s good and the fairytale-like storybook pages scattered through time. A story where no one was freed until it was too late. A story without a happy ending. A story she didn’t like.

But she doesn’t tell him that. He wouldn’t understand. Or maybe he would understand too well.

“Well… thank you.”

“I- I don’t know if I deserve that. But I’ll take it anyway. You can tell me anything, okay? Even if you’re feeling sad, or mad, or- or smad, just- I’m always here.”

“...Okay.”

He doesn’t tell her how he can’t even look at the Brig without _remembering._ Doesn’t tell her how he rarely talks in front of other Toppats in the fear they could tell him off or worse for being an annoyance. Doesn’t tell her that he’s scared every day, that he sleeps with the covers off and the nightlight on because he never wants to feel like he did while sleeping in his own prison.

But maybe he can, sometime. When he’s ready, and when she is.

* * *

The two head to the Viewing Deck just as she suggested, soaking in the sunlight as it peaks over the clouds. Soaking in the quiet, supportive presence of the other. Soaking in the promise of a new start. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is heavily inspired by a lot of stuff from different people on discord. my friend had the idea of dave becoming a toppat but still being unhappy there out of the fear he'd be back in the brig after doing something wrong, which was inspired by an idea that i had involving burt and dave. then another friend suggested that hat and dave could be friends in it, and i based the interactions between the two based on her headcanons for hat girl and dave. 
> 
> tdlr: this fic is basically just a mashup of a bunch of different ideas between me and a few friends that i wound up writing out for self indulgence


End file.
